NIGERIA
Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone believes Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, who plays for Napoli is worth more than
one hundred million euros should the Italian champions choose to sell him in the summer.
Osimhen has been making the headlines all through the season and has emerged as one of Europe’s most sought after strikers in
Europe with Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among the big clubs interested in signing him this
summer.
The Nigerian international, who leads Serie A top scorer chart with twenty-three goals and five assists in twenty-eight matches, is
valued at one hundred and fifty million euros.
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Nigeria international, Taiwo Awoniyi has scored two goals to hand Nottingham Forest all three points in a pulsating four-three victory
against fellow relegation strugglers Southampton at the City Ground.
The goal means the former Liverpool player scored for the first time in four months.
He last scored in January in Nottingham Forest’s one-nil win against Southampton on match-day 19.
The Super Eagles striker suffered a groin injury that ruled him out of action for two months, missing nine Premier League games.
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Doma United head coach, Akinade Onigbinde says his side will not relent in their fight to secure a place in the Nigeria Premier
Football League Super Six competition.
The Savannah Tigers suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for the competition after they were held to a goalless draw by
Rangers at the Pantami Township Stadium.
Onigbinde’s side have two games remaining in the regular season to achieve their objective.
Doma United will travel to Abuja for their Federation Cup Round of thirty-two against FR Ebunuajia in Abuja on Wednesday.
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Rangers head coach, Abdul Maikaba is satisfied with the outcome of his side’s Nigeria Premier Football League matchday 17
encounter against Doma United.
The Flying Antelopes held their hosts to a goalless draw at the Pantami Township Stadium, Gombe.
The result put the seven-time champions on the path of maintaining their top-flight status going into the final game of the regular
season.
The Coal City will face Kano Pillars in a Federation Cup Round of 32 clash on Wednesday.
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Shooting Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote has lamented his side’s inability to make the Nigeria Premier Football League
Super Six competition.
The Oluyole Warriors have already secured their top-flight status following an impressive performance in the second half of the
season.
Ogunbote reckoned their poor showing in the first half of the campaign cost them a place in the Super Six.
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Burkina Faso head coach, Brahima Traore says his side will fight hard to beat Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to the semi-final ticket at the
ongoing 2023 Africa Under-seventeen Cup of Nations in Algeria.
Traore’s side will face the Golden Eaglets in the quarter-finals at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers on Thursday.
The winner of the tie is also guaranteed a place in the 2023 FIFA Under-seventeen World Cup.
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A Texas therapist faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty on Monday to supplying performance-enhancing drugs to
Olympic athletes including banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare.
According to U.S authorities, Eric Lira, a “naturopathic” therapist based in the city of El Paso, is the first individual to be convicted
under a new US law introduced in the wake of Russia’s state-backed Olympic doping scandals.
Its, Department of Justice says in a statement that the 2020 law, named after Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, enables
US authorities to prosecute individuals involved in international doping fraud conspiracies.
Lira was found to have supplied drugs to Okagbare in the build-up to the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
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Nigeria’s second-ranked table tennis star, Edem Offiong, is delighted after she entered the history books as the first Nigerian to win
the European Cup Women’s Table Tennis title.
It was also the first European title for ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari club.
Offiong, currently ranked one hundred and forty-two in the world, helped her Italian Quattro Mori Cagliari record the famous victory
over Hungary’s SH ITB Budaorsi Sport Club in the final over two legs in Budapest.
Offiong recovered from an opening set defeat to beat Maria Fazekas 3-1 (5-11, 10-12, 7-11, 7-11) in the second leg after she had
thrashed the Hungarian 3-0 (6-11, 6-11, 8-11) in the first leg.
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ENGLAND
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All is still to play for in the Premier League with the title race, battle for the top four and relegation fight set to go to the wire.
Arsenal’s two-nil win at Newcastle kept the pressure on Manchester City at the top.
Newcastle’s defeat and Manchester United’s one-nil loss at West Ham means the race for the top four is back on thanks to
Liverpool’s six-game winning run.
Meanwhile, at the bottom, Leicester and Leeds fell into the relegation zone as Everton and Nottingham Forest secured vital wins.
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The Premier League’s worst offenders for time-wasting have been revealed but surprising new data shows that Newcastle are not
the biggest culprits despite their criticism for ‘gamesmanship’ this season.
Time-wasting is dramatically affecting the English top-flight this season, with the average ball-in play percentage lower than
France’s Ligue 1, Italy’s Serie A and the German Bundesliga, with managers constantly complaining about it and referees under
pressure to do more to stop it.
The issue came to a head once again, with Newcastle United particularly unhappy with the perceived delaying tactics of Arsenal,
who beat them two-nil at Saint James’ Park.
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Leicester City’s Premier League survival hopes suffered a blow as they were beaten five-three by Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The hosts opened the scoring through a Willian wide free-kick before strikes from Carlos Vinicius and Tom Cairney powered them
into a three-nil half-time lead.
Cairney added another after the restart before Harvey Barnes pulled a goal back for the visitors, who then saw Jamie Vardy miss a
penalty in the sixty-six minute.
Willian re-established Fulham’s four-goal lead with another fine strike before James Maddison netted Leicester’s second with an
eighty-one-minute spot-kick.
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Everton has produced a superb display of counter-attacking to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone with a stunning five
-one victory that dented Brighton’s European ambitions.
An extraordinary first half saw the visitors go ahead after just thirty-four seconds, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin squaring for
Abdoulaye Doucoure to tap in after Seagulls captain Lewis Dunk had been badly caught out.
The dou of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil scored a brace each for Everton, while
Brighton’s only goal was scored by Alexis Mac Allister.
The victory ensured Everton had the final say as they moved out of the drop zone in style, to sit seventeenth in the table after
leapfrogging Leeds United and Leicester City.
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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola says it would be a “huge mistake” for the team to look for revenge against Real Madrid in
their Champions League semi-final.
Guardiola urged his team to use the rematch to prove they can beat the holders and eventually land Europe’s biggest club prize.
The team led five-three on aggregate in the ninety minute of last year’s semi-final second leg, but Real Madrid remarkably fought
back.
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Yaya Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk says the curse he once called to be placed on Pep Guardiola by ‘African shamans’ to stop the
manager from winning the Champions League has been lifted.
The brouhaha stemmed from Toure’s relationship with Guardiola deteriorating during the Ivorian’s final season at the club, which
saw him make just one Premier League start during Manchester City’s 2017/18 campaign.
At the time, Toure said to France Football that the Catalan manager did ‘everything to spoil his last season’ and queried Guardiola’s
approach to selecting African players.
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West Ham are considering a former Arsenal midfielder to be Declan Rice’s replacement’ should he leave the club in the summer.
Rice, who helped lead the Hammers to a one-nil victory over Manchester United, is expected to be snatched up by one of the
Premier League giants in the upcoming transfer market.
The England international’s existing deal has just a year left to run, with the option to activate another year on top, but West Ham will
likely want to cash in on their most valued player amid interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, and Newcastle.
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Liverpool still have Alexis Mac Allister on their to-do list though they have yet to place an offer to Brighton.
The impressive Argentina international is keen to get his future resolved early in the window and Liverpool have had contact with his
father.
Mac Allister, is set to be a wanted man this summer after his impressive season for Brighton as well as his performances for
Argentina in helping them win the World Cup.
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Brentford technical director, Lee Dykes has emerged as a contender for a senior role at Tottenham following the resignation of
Fabio Paratici.
Tottenham, which still hope to appoint Julian Nagelsmann as coach, want a new sporting director and Dykes is one of the names in
the frame alongside Johannes Spors.
Dykes has worked in all four of the English league’s professional divisions.
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Manchester United have ‘growing doubts’ over David de Gea’s position as the club’s number one.
The goalkeeper was at the centre of the controversy, as Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a disappointing one-nil loss to West Ham at
the London Stadium, with De Gea conceding a costly mistake, failing to deal with Said Benrahma’s twenty-yard shot which slipped
over his gloves and into the net.
It is one of several errors United’s first choice goalkeeper has made in recent times, the most notable of those coming as the Red
Devils crashed out of the Europa League after they were beaten by Sevilla three-nil, and five-two on aggregate.
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Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has backed the call for Anthony Martial to leave Manchester United this summer.
Martial is expected to leave Manchester United at the end of the season, having failed to successfully do so last summer.
The Frenchman has not helped the club enough since joining from Monaco, scoring only four goals for Erik Ten Hag’s side this
season.
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Manchester United legend Gary Neville says it would ‘scare him to death’ if Newcastle United adds Paris Saint-Germain forward
Neymar to their squad next season.
Fans of the Paris based club have consistently asked the Brazilian to leave the club, claiming he has not contributed enough to
compare to the wages he receives at Parc des Princes.
He has been linked with a move to the Premier League with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle being touted as
possible buyers.
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Former Manchester United star, Wayne Rooney has admitted that Manchester City’s current squad would ‘have had the edge’ on
the Manchester United side he played for which won the Champions League in 2008.
The United and England legend played a huge part in helping the Red Devils win the Premier League and Champions League
during the 2007-08 season beating Chelsea on penalties to lift Europe’s most prestigious trophy.
Manchester City meanwhile are on course to match United’s famous treble-winning exploits of 1999.
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It is ten years to the day since Sir Alex Ferguson announced his decision to retire following more than twenty-six years as
Manchester United manager.
The Scot won thirty-eight trophies during his reign at Old Trafford, including thirteen league titles, two Champions League crowns,
the European Cup Winners’ Cup, five FA Cups and four League Cups.
Ferguson is one of the most successful managers in the history of the British game and worked with numerous legendary players
during his time at Old Trafford.
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American financier Tom Wagner has agreed to buy a forty-five point sixty-four percent stake in Championship club Birmingham City.
The club say the hedge fund manager is to purchase twenty-four percent of shares from Blues’ parent company Birmingham
Sports Holdings Limited.
A further twenty-one point sixty-four percent of shares will be transferred from Oriental Rainbow Investments and Achiever Global
Group.
The deal is subject to approval by both the English Football League EFL and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
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Northampton Town has sealed promotion to League One as a sumptuous Will Hoskins volley earned victory over Tranmere Rovers
at Prenton Park.
The Cobblers needed maximum points to be certain of going up and held their nerve in a tense match, meaning Stockport County’s
result against already relegated Hartlepool was irrelevant.
Stockport failed to keep their side of the bargain, missing an injury-time penalty as they drew with Pools, meaning Jon Brady’s side
finished third and four points clear of County.
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OTHER SPORTS
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has won 10 outdoor world sprint titles, including relays.
Fraser-Pryce’s 100m gold came 13 years after her first and the 36-year-old has more world sprint titles than any other athlete.
She ran a sub-10.7-seconds 100m seven times in 2022, three more than the previous best for a female sprinter in a calendar year.
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James Harden scored 42 points as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics in overtime to level their play-off series at 2-2.
Harden scored to send the game into overtime then made the decisive three-pointer to clinch a 116-115 win.
Philadelphia led for much of the game before a late Boston surge helped them move into the lead.
The Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 129-124 to ensure their series is also level going into game five.
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OTHER LEAGUE
Paris Saint Germain veteran star, Lionel Messi has scooped a unique double, landing individual and team Laureus awards for his
exploits and those of his World Cup winning nation.
Messi, finally landed a first World Cup winners medal in Qatar last December after a thrilling penalty shootout final win over France,
enough to earn him an individual accolade while the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner also accepted the team award at a prestigious
Paris ceremony.
The Argentine, who attended the ceremony with wife Antonela Roccuzzo, previously had won the award jointly with British Formula
One champion Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
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Lionel Messi will reportedly sign for Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal this summer after accepting a megadeal worth two hundred and sixty
million pounds-a-year.
The Argentine World Cup winner will depart Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and, according to reports in Spain, will
snub Barcelona and head to the Middle East.
Messi will accept the proposal tabled by the four-time Asian Champions League winners and follow his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo
to Saudi.
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Barcelona are set to ask midfielder Frenkie de Jong to take another pay cut this summer.
The Dutch international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Camp Nou in the past, with the club struggling to meet
Financial Fair Play rules.
It has now been revealed by Mundo Deportivo that De Jong is set to be asked to reduce his wages to comply with the financial
rules.
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Former France striker, Thierry Henry has recounted being put in his place by Xavi after he arrived in Barcelona in 2007.
Henry moved from Arsenal to the Nou Camp for twenty-one million pounds in 2007.
During his time with the Gunners, he scored two hundred and twenty-six goals and won the Premier League twice with Arsenal.
His impressive reputation did not shield him from an early humbling at his new club.
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Napoli and Juventus have expressed interest in signing Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic.
The USA international is one of several players the West London club are looking to sell this summer before his contract runs down
and he is desperate to play more regularly.
He has made just eight league starts for the Blues this season and scored one goal across all competitions.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – SEMI-FINALS
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
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